Temperature-regulator



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(Nv Model.)

` A. F. NAGLE.

TEMPERATURE REGULATOR.

Patented Nov. 28, 1893..

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711.gif.

(No Model.) A F NAGLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TEMPERATURE REGULATOR. No. 509,625. lamented Nov. 28, 1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS F. NAGLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TEM PERATU REwREGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,625, dated November 28, 1893.

Appncanoniea April 2,1892. ysemi No. 427,535. (Nomade.)

To a/ZZ whom it may con/cern.:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS F. NAGLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the county of Oook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and use ful Improvement in Temperature-Regulators, (Oase No. 1,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to regulating devices for hot water heaters and its object is to secure in such a regulator a wide range` of primary motion of apparatus under the iniiuence of varying temperature, and also to provide a device sensitive to slight variations of tem perature both of the hot water and of the surrounding atmosphere which will respond quickly and positively to any such variation.

In the devices which have hitherto been made utilizing the molecular expansion of liq uids under the iniuenceof heat, it is possible to secure only a small amount of primary motion, and it is the object of this invention to secure a greater amount of primary motion than has heretofore been possible by the molecular expansion of liquids under the inlluence of heat, as distinguished from the vaporization of such liquids.

When liquids have been used heretofore the closed `vessels filled with the liquid, the expansion of which operates a damper has been surrounded in whole or in part by the Water of the heater. This arrangement is open to the objection th at the promptness and sensitiveness of the response to temperature`variations is impaired, as the expansive liquid contained in the vessel is always protected from cooling by the hot water surrounding it.'

My invention consists in a construction by which the chamber containing the expanding iiuid is external to the hot water of the heater.

It also consists in the use of the combination of oil and water or of oil alone as the expanding uid and in a new' and original construction of responsive device for transforming the molecular expansion of the expanding fluid into motion adapted to operate the damper of the heater.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the entire apparatus shown in connection with the main pipe of the hot water heater and with the lever which transmits the motion to the damper and the standard which supports said lever in elevation. Fig. 2 shows the responsive device as it appears when the rubber tube is expanded to its full length downward. Fig. 3 shows the responsive device with the weighted plunger withdrawn and the rubber tube pressed upward and outward. Fig. 4 shows the rubber tube in which the plunger is inserted. Fig. 5 shows the device in place attachedto the hot water heater.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the views.

The feed pipe of the hot water heater a is surrounded by the chamber h and connected by the nipples c, c, c, the T d and the elbow e with the cylindrical vesself. The nipple c is attached and connects with chamber b, at or near the bottom thereof so that the conduit leading to the cylinderfwillbe below the lowest point of said chamber. The object of this is that the water with which the vessel fand the cond uit leading thereto shall be partially filled may not rise above any part of the chamber containing the oil, my object being to conne the oil to the chamber b and to the nipple c and the T d immediately adjoining said chamber where it will be subjected to the influence of the heat of the water in the pipe d, but to fill the rest of the space in the conduit with water. I have shown a water line at g. Itis obvious that this line between the water and the oil will rise and fall with the expansion of the oil in the chamber b, and that byproper proportioning of the chamber b the vessel f and the conduit connecting the two, this line willat no time rise above the bottom of the chamberh. The lower specific gravity of the oil and the fact that the two liquids are mntually repellant will keep the oil always-above the water in the construction shown. 1*

The chamber f is provided at its lowest portion with a dri pcock h for convenience in case it is desired to draw the fluid out of the charnber or to renew it. Into the chamber fthe plunger t', preferably of cylindrical form, projects, and the lower end of this plunger is enveloped with a rubber tube, the top of which is drawn over the end 7c of tube m. The tube m and its lower extension 7e upon which the IOO `at Z Z as the plunger t' rises.

rubber tube is fastened serve to prevent a too great expansion of the rubber as it is forced up under the influence of the fluid pressure against the inside of the tube m.

I preferably construct the plunger and the tube m of such size relatively that there shall be between the interior surface of said tube m and the plunger a space about equal to three thicknesses of the rubber tube when it is not stretched, thus permitting the rubber tube to fold upon itself as the plunger rises. The rubber tube is closed at its lower end and is of a size to approximately fit the plunger It'. This rubber tube turns upon itself as shown The pressure of the iiuid tending to drive the plunger i out of the chamber f, also serves to keep the two surfaces of the rubber tube, where it is folded, separated, so that they will not come in contact Vand -stick together. The tube mextending upward from chamberfhas at its upper end an opening adapted to fit the plungeri and vserves as a guide to said plunger. Upon the top of this plunger is fastened a weight n, this weight being suficient in amount to cause the necessary fluid pressure upward to keep the surfaces of the tube enveloping the lower end of the plunger from contact and sticking as it folds upon itself.

The standard o I preferably fasten to the T as shown above, although it is obvious that it can be fastened in any suitable manner `so fas to support the lever p which is pivot'ed to the clamp q at q in a position to be operated by the plunger, the top of which comes in contact with the lower surface of said lever p. The standard o may be graduated as 'shown and the clamp q carrying the lever lo may be readily moved up or down through any desired range of adjustment. It is obvious that the higher the lever p is placed the higher the temperature will necessarily be in order to cause the mechanism to operate.

To balance the weight of the damper I suspend the weight p from the lever p. The arm `p2 rests against'the standard o and serves to keep the lever p in a horizontal position. The lever p is connected in any suitable way with the damper to be operated by the regulator. As this intermediate mechanism is not an essential feature of my invention, I do not deem it necessary to further describe it. I prefer in order to open and close the dam-per within a few degrees change of temperature to give the plunger a large idle motion before lifting the lever connected to the damper.

From the construction of the apparatus dfescribed and shown, its operation will be readily understood. The operating lever p being set for any desired temperature, the apparatus will not operate to change the damper until there is a variation in the temperature, either of th'eoutside atmosphere or of the hot water in the pipe a sufcient to cause the expansion or contraction of the oil wiithin the 'chamber b, which being communciated through the column of water in the passages connecting the said chamber b with the charnber f into which the plunger enveloped in a rubber tube projects,'causes the rise or fall of the plunger and consequently the closing or opening of the damper.

An advantage which arises from the construction of the oil chamber outside the hot Water pipe in addition to the increased sensitiveness caused by the exterior radiating surface of this chamber, which permits the prompt cooling of the oil, is that this construction also results in making the apparatus of my invention responsive to changes in the temperature of the atmosphere surrounding the same. By varying the superficial area of the exterior of this chamber b, I am able to vary this sensitiveness to the influence` of the surrounding atmosphere.

My invention is therefore peculiarly adapt ed to such locations, for instance,.as conservatori'es, where it is desirable to have a ternp'erature regulator which responds not only to the varying temperature of the water in the heater but tothe varying temperature of the outside atmosphere.

By the use of loil for the expanding fluid, I am able to secure the advantage of the great coefflcientfof molecular expansion which oil possesses, and I am also -able to get a regulation over a wider range of temperature, as olive oil, for instance, boils at about 600 Fahrenheit. The use of waterlimits the maximum temperature to about 212 Fahrenheit, at which temperature the water boils. Oil, however, cannot be kused in Contact with rubber on account of its deleterious action upon the rubber. But water being interposed between the oil, which acts as an expanding fluid, and the rubber tube, I avoid this diflicul'ty, and at the same time secure the advantages which arise from the use of the oil and the use of the'rubber.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire t-o secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a temperature regulator, the combiation with a closed chamber containing oil, adapted to be subjected to the varying temperature -of the hot water of the heater, of a device Iconstructed in whole or in part of rubber, said device adapted to be actuated by the expansion and contraction of said oil under the influence of varying temperatures, and a body of waterinterposed between said device and the oil contained in said chamber; substantially as described.

I2. In a temperature regulator, the combination with a responsive device adapted to be actuatedby the expansion and contraction of a liquid, of a chamber encircling the heating fluid, oil iillingsaid chamber and commu nicating through a column of Water with said responsive device, substantially as described.

3. In a temperature regulator, the combination with a body `of oil adapted to `expand and contract under the influence of the rise and fall of temperature, of a column of water ICO IIO

contained Within a chamber in communication with the chamber containing said oil, a weighted plunger adapted to rise and fall as said oil expands and contracts, said expansion and contraction being communicated to the plunger through the column of Water, said plunger being partially surrounded by a rubber tube which is attached to the end of a solid tube in which the said plunger :is adapted to rise and fall, substantially as described.

. 4. Atemperature regulator consisting of the chamber h exterior to the heating fluid, a conduit leading from said chamber to a chamberf, into which a Weighted plunger projects, said plunger partially enveloped in a rubber tube, a metallic tube m to which said rubber tube is attached, oil within said chamber b and communicatingl pressure to said plunger through a column of Water contained in said conduit and chamberf, said plunger being adapted to operate mechanism whereby the expansion and contraction of the iluid in said chamber b is adapted to open and close the damper of the heater, substantially as described.

5. The combination with al chamber having an expansive portion consisting of a flexible tube, a rigid tube leading from said chamber, but not communicating therewith, said ilexible tube being attached to said rigid tube, a Weighted plunger adapted to press said ilexible tube into said chamber, said Weighted plunger being of a size which permits the lexi* ble tube to fold upon itself between said plunger and said rigid tube, anda liquid adapted to separate the folds of the iiexible tube at all times and to press said folds respectively against the rigid tube and the plunger, Whereby the said exible tube is pressed into said rigid tube, substantially as described.

6. A responsive device adapted to be actuated by liquid pressure consisting of a rubber tube closed at one end, with a solid weighted shaft or plunger filling said tube, said tube sprung over a metal tube adapted to envelop and support said rubber tube, but with only suiicient space between the plunger and the metal tube to admit of the rubber being turned over on itself within said space when the liquid pressure is sufficient to overcome the Weight of the plunger and to permit the access of the liquidbetween the folds of said rubber tube at all times, substantially as described.

7. In a temperature regulator, the combination with a shaft adapted to be acted upon directly and moved vertically by liquid pressure, of a pivoted lever connected with the damper and having no connection with the moving shaft, but lying in the path thereof, whereby the moving shaft may engage said lever to move the damper, and means for varying the point ot' the travel of the shaft at which it acts upon said lever, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I hereunto subscribe 

